Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-08-30
MisfellaneDns.
MARY JAMES TRAVELS.
DiCKEY AND SHE PAY A VISIT
TO THE CITY OF FLORENCE.
They Have Trouble with Their Railroad
Ticket Because of the italian Spelling
of the City's Name, Which is Firenze.
Their Joint Observations.
special CorrespondA.~>I

Especial Correspondence
FLORENCE, Italy, We have trav-
eled over 1900 miles and In three Ian
guages since leaving New York, and for two
women, who never had any previous for
eign experience, and only speak English, I
think we are doing first rate. We have
never missed a connection, never been late
for train, never got into the wrong station,
town or hotel and haven't had an accident
or q delay. don't say this boastingly, but
merely to show those who told US women
couldn't travel alone that women can do q
good many things if they are only given the
opportunity.
presume everybody who goes to Florence
(which in Italian is Firenze and which came
near getting me into trouble at the station
because | was going TO Florence and not
F renze, as the ticket called tori climbs the
famous gingerbread campanile by the side Of
the Cathedral Of st. Gingerbread, the star
architectural attraction of Florence. / did,
and found that the roofs of the t0wn pre-
sented symphony in brown, which, though
common in tiled roof Italy, reached its highest
development here. The whole place seemed
TO have had a brown tarpaulin spread over
it, with the edges pegged down to the green
Of the fields beyond, and we got about as
much idea Of the plan of the city as il we had
gone down cellar instead of up to the garnet.
One Of the most tiresome Things to look at in
Italy is the tiled roof There isn't any other
kind because there isn't timber enough in
the country to make shingles, and tin or slate
is rather too modern.
Our boy is still with US and is still making
remarks. An American in the party is in a
stuta IF g.,
Italy who speak English, and he invariably
compliments the speaker with "Ah, you speak
very good English" Coming here some
English people came into our compartment
and our American was soon talking to them.
/ was over in the corner irving to hold the
boy down.
"Get on to his nibs," said he, in a hoarso
whisper
"Sh-sh," said I, shaking him; 'let the man
talk if he wants to-"
"Of course | will. said he. "You might as
well try to dam up the waters of the Nile
with bulrushes and so forth, but I'll bet four
teen dollars and seventy-five cents that the
next thing he saws will be, 'Ah, you speak
very good English"
But he didn't, and it had such an effect on
the boy that he kept perfectly quiet for half
An hour.
We had guide in Florence, and he was an
artist, for he had made mosaics for several
years, but he didn't know the intricacies of
our language. He was showing us the tomb
of the Medicis, that wonderful work in
precious and lard stones, and was quite de-
sirous that we be impressed with the fact that
the polished surfaces of stone, rejecting the
frescoes of the dome as III mirror, were not
marble, but hard stone, which would turn the
edge of any ordinary chisel. Every time
either of would inadvertently say marble
the guide would exclaim: Not marble! Not
marblel 1t is not marble, but hard and
precious stone" Just before leaving the place
we put our faces close down To the shining
surface of the dado and looked far into its
depths, as into the depths of clear water.
at is marvellous" said Die ey, rapturously.
"No, no." said the guide with an unex-
pectedness that startled us, 'it is not marble,
1t is hard and precious stone"
Dickey was in earnest, and so was the Guide,
and she tried to explain to him the nature of
her emotion as expressed by marvellous" but
he couldn't comprehend, and she gave it up
By the way, the guide told us that this
Medici, tomb, monument, chapel, or whatever
it may be called, had cost go, 600 francs.
The figures are slightly elevated, so to speak,
but you don't have to believe guide unless
you want to.
Florence is headquarters for art for the
whole world, and the Uffizi-P Pitt gallery of
paintings and statuary is not measured by
feet, but miles, and after extending along a
street or two in Florence it crosses the river
and takes III considerable territory on the
other side. About mile and three-quarters
Of these paintings are old portraits, and are
not worth the canvas they are painted on, but
they are kept on the walls and have to be
looked at along with the others and raved
over by lovers Of old masters and other an
tiquities
Florence is quite a pretty town, and ono
feels like calling it a Sweet place" Its
suburbs bring their green shades close to the
city, and the smell of the trees and the flowers
almost neutraizes the usual bad odors preva-
lent in an Italian town.
Until we reached Florence the rule of COR
struction in Italian churches appeared to be
to put all the ornamentation on the inside,
and cover it in with walls and roof whose
chief merit was durability and uglness but
in Florence the order is changed, and the ca
thedral is building gaudy in its exterior
as it is the reverse within. Its front, built of
white and colored marbles, and trimmed
with statues and voluted columns and other
skirt is just finished, after several hundred
years of waiting, and it is real pretty, but
somehow it lacks dignity. 1t looked 70 me q
good deal like Methodist preacher in a vo-
ciferous plaid suit, and still l couldn't help
but admire it, The campanile, or bell tower,
adjoining, which is sort of long handle to
the cathedral, is the result of an order to
construct the most graceful and beautiful
tower in the world. l don't know whether it
is or not, but climbed to the top of it.
They had big celebration in the cathedral
the day we visited it, the place was full
An orchestra and a choir of he singers occu-
pied one portion of the transept. The bishops,
priests and assistants held the center with tho
| usual religious services, while the crowd
| promenaded around, talking and laughing,
| pretty much as it would through the lobby of
| theatre between the acts.
I can't say that it was an uninteresting
| church service, but it was, to say the least,
| slightly different from what we had been
accustomed to at home.
As we left the cathedral we saw what
| everybody sees in every Italian town--name-
ly, two or three men sound asleep in the sun.
"Well," said Dickey, in a tone of disgust,
sit seems TO me these people don't do any
thing else but sleep and go to church"
"They differ only slightly from our own,n
said l.
| 81 don't see how" said she.
"Don't your said l. These sleep and go
To church and Ours 90 TO church and Slae,,